1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sample container holder, more particularly, to a sample container holder that is capable of securely retaining a sample container and for easily removing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Sample container holders are known in the art to accommodate sample containers such as test tubes, vials, bottles, cylinders etc. commonly used in laboratories. One such holder 10 is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Note that often the holder 10 is designed with a receiving area smaller than a sample container, for example a test tube 12 is often difficult to insert into the holder 10 or remove it from the holder 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1A. On the other hand, the holder 10 maybe designed with a receiving area larger than the sample container, so that it would provide for easy insertion and/or removal, but do not always ensure that the test tube 12 in fact stands securely in the upright position in the holder 10, as illustrated in FIG. 1B. In other words, the test tube 12 may tilt and cause spilling of the sample, which may be hazardous chemicals. This is particularly important in order to prevent any spilling from the test tube 12. As a result, it appears that the sample container holders need to be designed according to the shape and size of each of the sample containers, which can be very time consuming and expensive.
Thus, in order to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, there is a need in the art to provide a sample container holder that would securely accommodate sample containers of various sizes and shapes. There is also a need in the art of a holder that would provide for insertion and removal of the sample containers without much effort. There is further need in the art of a holder that would provide for insertion and removal of the sample containers with the use of only one hand.